NIGERIA: ACTIVISTS SAY ENGAGING COMMUNITIES KEY TO

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 LAGOS 000301 SENSITIVE SIPDIS DEPARTMENT PASS NSC FOR MICHELE GAVIN COMMERCE FOR KBURESS ENERGY FOR GPERSON TREASURY FOR DPETERS, RHALL, RABDULRAZAK STATE PASS USTR FOR LISER, AGAMA STATE PASS TRANSPORTATION FOR KSAMPLE STATE PASS OPIC FOR ZHAN, MSTUCKART, JEDWARDS STATE PASS TDA FOR EEBONG, DSHUSTER STATE PASS EXIM FOR JRICHTER STATE PASS USAID FOR NFREEMAN, GBERTOLIN E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV KCOR EPET NI SUBJECT: NIGERIA: ACTIVISTS SAY ENGAGING COMMUNITIES KEY TO NIGER DELTA PEACE REF: A. LAGOS 66 ¶B. LAGOS 107 ¶1. (SBU) Summary: On July 6, PolCouns and PolOff met with two social activists from the Gbaramatu Kingdom in Delta State to discuss prospects for peace in the Niger Delta. Sheriff Mulade and Shedrack Agediga admitted that vandalization of oil facilities by desperately poor residents in local communities was a large part of the problem. They argued for increasing the amount of money going to the Niger Delta states and said more of that money should go directly to local communities. However, both men admitted that the money allocated in the past to the states in the Niger Delta should have been enough to develop the region if the funds had been used for development rather than siphoned off by corrupt government officials. They lamented that in the last three months the only functioning development agency in the Niger Delta, the Delta State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission (DESOPADEC) (Reftels) has been co-opted by the Delta State Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan (Peoples' Democratic Party - PDP) who is diverting funds for personal and political use. Asked about the prospects for peace in the Niger Delta, Mulade and Agediga argued that the communities must have a direct stake in oil production and infrastructure development in order to "take ownership" of both. While we applaud the efforts of Mulade and Agediga, as long as the state and local governments of the Niger Delta remain in the hands of a corrupt and unelected elite, we fear their efforts will have little impact. End Summary. "We are the Problem" -------------- ¶2. (SBU) On July 6, PolCouns and PolOff met with two social activists from the Niger Delta Orientation Project, Sheriff Mulade and Shedrack Agediga, both from the Gbaramatu Kingdom in Delta State, to discuss prospects for peace in the Niger Delta. Both Mulade and Agediga are graduates of nonviolence training run by the Foundation of Ethnic Harmony in Nigeria (FEHN) based on Dr. Martin Luther King's philosophy and advocate peaceful change by educating people about the long-term harmful effects of pipeline vandalism, oil theft, and violence. Mulade argued that most of the problems in the Niger Delta have been caused by the residents themselves, saying "we are the problem." Niger Deltans, Mulade said, vandalized pipelines and installations out of ignorance and short-term greed, because they did not understand the long-term consequences of their actions. In the absence of roads, electricity, potable water, schools and health care, people felt entitled to take what they could get via theft and violence. Indegenes need to be taught that they are in fact only hurting themselves and shown better ways to secure progress and prosperity for the region. Development Funds Misappropriated -------------- ¶3. (SBU) Having identified under-development as the root cause of the problems in the region, Mulade and Agediga first argued that a higher percentage of the government revenues derived from oil ought to be allocated to the Niger Delta. After some discussion, however, they admitted that in fact enough money to develop the region had been allocated to the Niger Delta over the last ten years. The problem, they pointed out, was that it had failed to fuel development because the bulk of those allocations had been siphoned off into the pockets of politicians at all levels of government. They claimed that individual Local LAGOS 00000301 002 OF 003 Government Areas (LGAs) received allocations of hundreds of million of naira every month but these resources simply went to secure or retain patronage. Meanwhile, the poor, Agediga added, were so desperate that they would accept payments from anyone to do anything. Situation Deteriorating -------------- ¶4. (SBU) Mulade stressed that the situation has now become worse than ever, particularly in the Gbaramatu Kingdom, where development is at a complete standstill since the offensive launched by the military Joint Task Force (JTF) against militant leader "Tompolo" on May 13. They said that tens of thousands of people remained displaced and economic activity is disrupted by the blockading of the waterways by the JTF. All of Delta State, meanwhile, was impacted negatively by the co-opting of DESOPADEC by the governor of the state, Emmanuel Uduaghan, Agedige said. (Note: At its inception a little over two years ago, DESOPADEC pioneered the concept of giving communities a direct say and stake in resource allocation and development. The organization appeared to be gaining momentum. (Reftels). End Note.) However, according to Agediga, for over three months DESOPADEC has received no funding directly and Governor Uduaghan now interferes in all its decisions, in effect corrupting the body into another source of revenue for state government officials and their families. The Way Forward: Get Communities Involved -------------- ¶5. (SBU) Asked what the way forward was, Mulade and Agediga argued that traditional and community leaders had to be involved in conflict resolution, oil production, security and development. Mulade advocated giving communities a stake of between five and ten percent in oil production, so that they will "take ownership" and ensure protection of the production facilities. (Note: We know of one small Nigerian oil company operating in Delta State that is doing just that and has so far been spared from community problems. End Note.) To this end, he said communities should be "at the table" when negotiating a peace settlement in the Niger Delta. He added that communities needed to be held responsible for the safety of oil installations, and recommended paying communities "bonuses" if no installation in their jurisdiction suffers an attack or vandalism within a set period of time. Furthermore, he said, communities should select and participate in development projects in their area to ensure that communities get the infrastructure they need while residents get employment. According to Mulade and Agediga, if community leaders see the direct benefit from oil production and development projects in their communities, they will be able to control youths and reduce both crime and militancy. ¶6. (SBU) Comment: The efforts of Mulade and Agediga to inform Niger Delta residents of the long term environmental consequences of their actions and encourage a sense of responsibility in government are to be applauded, but as long as local and state governments that control development and services in the region, remain in the hands of a corrupt and unelected elite, we fear their efforts will have little impact. The concept of paying communities to protect oil infrastructure in their jurisdiction has in the past led to "security contracts" being awarded to local communities with the result that vandalism has spread to previously peaceful communities in order to cash-in on security contracts. Even if communities are only paid in LAGOS 00000301 003 OF 003 the absence of "incidents" this amounts either to paying the vandals not to act or a form of collective responsibility - and punishment. End Comment. ¶7. (U) This cable was cleared by Embassy Abuja. BLAIR